Research in the practice

Our research grows out of daily practice. The patients of the practice are the study population, the data come from the regular check-up, and the questions are those we meet at the chair. All patients consent at intake to the anonymised use of their data for research and teaching.

Serial intraoral scanning

Since 2018 we scan every patient at each check-up and compare the scans over time. The comparison detects tooth wear, chipping, tooth movement and erosion at a precision of 0.05 mm, months before they are visible to the eye. The cohort now counts 562 patients, the longest span is seven years. The method, the thresholds we use and illustrative cases are described in an article accepted by the International Journal of Computerized Dentistry (Marinescu C, Pogany L, 2026, in press).

Salivary aMMP-8 and systemic markers after professional prophylaxis

Active matrix metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8) in the mouth rinse is a marker of periodontal tissue breakdown. It can be measured chair-side in a few minutes. Together with Dr. Nike Arnstadt (Praxis für Integrative Medizin, Munich) and our hygienist Tünde Sandor, RDH, we looked at how aMMP-8, salivary pH and flow, and blood markers (hs-CRP, Omega-3 Index, vitamin D, GDF-15, HbA1c) behave after professional oral prophylaxis in routine practice. The retrospective feasibility study has been submitted for publication. A prospective follow-up with a further sampling round for all participants is in preparation. Patients who wish to take part can tell us at their next recall.

Saliva collection standardisation – HLMS Oral Health workgroup

Saliva is easy to collect and hard to collect consistently. Time of day, food, brushing and the collection method all change the result. Within the Healthy Longevity Medicine Society (HLMS) we have proposed a standard operating procedure for saliva collection so that oral markers can be compared between clinics and studies. An Oral Health workgroup of the society is in formation; the saliva collection SOP is its first deliverable.

Praxiom Life 2.0

The markers we measure are of little use if they are seen only once. Praxiom Life 2.0 is an app platform founded by Dr. Marinescu in which patients keep their oral and systemic markers, wearable data and lab reports together and follow them over time. It is not a medical device and does not replace clinical diagnosis. The composite score it calculates is currently being validated. More at praxiom.life.

Selected references

• Luthra S, et al. Treatment of periodontitis and C-reactive protein: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Periodontol 2023.
• Sorsa T, et al. Active MMP-8 (aMMP-8) as a grading and staging biomarker in the periodontitis classification. Diagnostics 2020.
• Li X, et al. Maladaptive innate immune training of myelopoiesis links inflammatory comorbidities. Cell 2022.